Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson had problems. The new generation was buying their bikes and

The motorcycle manufacturer has wholly embraced its identity as the vehicular embodiment

Harley-Davidson is an American motorcycle manufacturer founded in 1903 in Milwaukee,

Harley-Davidson dominated racing after 1914.
By 1920, they were the largest motorcycle

In 1969, AMF bought the company, streamlined production, and slashed the

In 1981, AMF sold the company.
Rather than trying to match

In 1998 the first Harley-Davidson factory outside the US opened in

Reasons for success
1. “Rebel By Choice” – Clear brand positioning by bikers,

2. Build a loyal following and allow them to take ownership: The Harley

3. Becoming the representation of an ideal: Product placement in Easy Rider’s

Most famously, the Harley-Davidson motorbike (aka ‘Captain America’ bike) ridden by

4. Create phenomenal events people look forward to – the annual Sturgis

Initially, Harley had no connections with the rally, which began back

5. Marketing to the Military (Associate your brand with key societal

6. Extension of brand into clothing (Diversify your sources of revenue.

Problems
The company reported its 12th consecutive quarter of declining sales, which were some

HD has been challenged by the changes in the sociocultural environment

The millennial generation has strong opinions on the environmental impact of

Solutions
International expansion especially, India and Asia
Harley will develop 250-500cc bikes to

To ensure its survival, the company has added a new customer

Jochen Zeitz the new CEO, who took over in February, is

Harley Davidson
The motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson made such an important comeback

On the other hand, investing would help Harley-Davidson expand and possibly

Forecasts called for an increase in consumer spending on recreation and

Specifically, the research had to address the following questions:
Who are

This research was guided by the theory that brand loyalty is

Some of the major findings were as follows:
Seven categories of

All customers were long-term loyal customers of Harley-Davidson, supporting H3.
H3: Brand

Defining the Marketing Research Problem & Developing an Approach

Chapter 2

This chapter focuses on steps or stages 1 and 2 of

Importance of Defining the Problem
Although each step in a marketing research

One day, I received a telephone call from a research analyst

Next slide shows the components of the first and second steps:

The Process of Defining the Problem and Developing an Approach
The

Discussions with decision makers (DM)
The DM needs to understand the capabilities

The problem audit provides a useful framework for interacting with the

3. The criteria that will be used to evaluate the alternative

6. The manner in which the DM will use each item

It is important to perform a problem audit because the DM,

Store brand jeans
For years, teenagers have considered store label jeans “uncool.”

Gap jeans have also scored big. The chain’s strategy has been

The interaction between the researcher and the DM is facilitated when

(4) Candor. There should not be any hidden agendas, and an

Interviews with industry experts
Typically, expert information is obtained by unstructured personal

Cherry Coke
As of 2009, Coca-Cola is still the world’s leading manufacturer,

Based on the research results, the product was repositioned to align

Qualitative research
Information obtained from the DM, industry experts, and secondary data

Pilot surveys tend to be less structured than large-scale surveys in

Although research undertaken at this stage may not be conducted in

P&G
P&G, the maker of Tide laundry detergent, Pampers diapers, and Crest

Initially, the study followed families in the UK, Italy, Germany, and

P&G is acting on the information obtained by such research to

Environmental context of the problem
To understand the background of a marketing

(1) Past information and forecasts
Past information and forecasts of trends with

Smarte Carte
Smarte Carte is the leader in baggage cart, locker, and

Expanding into new markets requires knowledge of each market’s size and

Based on the study, Smarte Carte fine-tuned the product for these

(2) Resources and constraints
To formulate a marketing research problem of appropriate

It is often possible to extend the scope of a project

Other constraints, such as those imposed by the client firm’s personnel,

(3) Objectives
Decisions are made to accomplish objectives. The formulation of the

(4) Buyer behavior
Buyer behavior is a central component of the environmental

The buyer behavior factors that should be considered include:
1. The

Milk
Milk sales had declined in the 1980s and early 1990s, and

Milk was strongly missed when there was none around. The advertising

Environment context and problem definition
After gaining an adequate understanding of the

Management Decision Problem and Marketing Research Problem
The management decision problem asks

The management decision problem is action oriented.
It is concerned with

Consider the loss of market share for a particular product line.

Project Research (Sears)
Management decision problem
What should be done to improve the

Defining the marketing research problem
The general rule to be followed in

The second type of error is just the opposite: The marketing

In a project conducted for a major consumer products firm, the

When outside marketing research experts were brought in, the problem was

The likelihood of committing either type of error in problem definition

In the next slide, question 1 is the broad research problem.
Questions

Step 2 of the marketing research process: approach to the problem.
Step

Objective/theoretical framework
Research should be based on objective evidence and supported by

The department store patronage project illustrates how theory can be used

Analytical models
An analytical model is a set of variables and

Verbal model
A consumer first becomes aware of a department store.
That

Research questions
Research questions (RQs) are refined statements of the specific components

In the department store project, the marketing research problem is to

Next slide, we’ll break down question 5 further, and then break

Question 5 of the research problem was the psychological profile of

The theoretical framework and the analytical model play a significant role

Hypothesis
A hypothesis (H) is an unproven statement or proposition about a

Research questions are questions. There is a question mark at the

Hypotheses are an important part of the approach to the problem.

Summary

Project Research (Sears)
Management decision problem
What should be done to improve the

Marketing Research Problems (specific)
1. What criteria do households use when selecting

Research Questions for Question 5
5. What is the demographic and psychographic

Precisely define the variables and determine how to make question 5b